Yvonne Aston, Marie-Louise Backhurst, Mary Billot (Secretary), Mervyn Billot, Gavin Booth, Roger de Carteret, Frank Falle (Chairman), Derek Gray, Geraint Jennings, Sally Knight, Nicolas Jouault, Frank Le Blancq, Georgia Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur, David Levitt, Rosemary Mesch (new member).

Visitors : Loren Le Sueur (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Arizona, USA); Eileen & Jack Le Sueur.

Apologies :

Joy Bell, Sue Hardy, Douglas Hooke, Tertius Hutt, Sarah Jordan, David Le Maistre, Alec Podger, Martine Schenk, Pauline Taylor.

2. Minutes of the meeting of January 16th 2001 and amendments.

The minutes were approved as a correct record; there were no amendments.

5.2 Frank Falle reported that the 104 Jersey swabs and 55 Guernsey swabs have been sent to University College London fortic study of Viking influence.

6.1 Lady Otway claimed she was 46 in the 1891 census; in reality she was probably about 60. She married the 2^nd baronet; both 1^st and 2^nd baronets were admirals. Francis Corbet's father captained her yacht for one season during the 1920s. Marie-Louise Backhurst has given a summary of her will to the Library.

6.2 The photocopies of the Perrot letters with their transcripts have started to arrive from New Zealand; the remainder will be brought back via David Le Maistre, who has met Glenys Lawrence in Auckland. [Copies in Library].

6.5 Marie-Louise Backhurst clarified that the Mont Orgueil earthworks are of an Iron Age fort (5^th to 2^nd century BC).

4.1 Frank Falle welcomed Rosemary Mesch to her first meeting. He also reported on the Chairman and Secretaries meeting on February 5^th 2001. Topics covered were :

• Sir John Cheshire, the new Lieutenant Governor, has consented to be a Patron
• the purchase with the JHT of a mint gold stater, a 1^st century coin from the Le Catillon hoard, Grouville (found 1957) [Press release with Minutes]
• the guidelines for the use of refurbished 3^rd floor and new 4^th floor
• section books relocation on the 3^rd and 4^th floor and lists of titles no longer required by sections
• report of the Publications Committee
• whether questionnaires should be sent to members on controversial and external topics.

Autumn lunch-time lectures, 2001 : preliminary list of lecturers (usually 4 needed) -

• Sue Hardy on Lady Otway
• David Levitt on Jersey sundials
• Yvonne Aston on Victorian commerce
• Mervyn Billot on agricultural implements
• Martine Schenk on the Mormons in Jersey

Dates to note :

March 21^st : Henry Coutanche on 18^th century procurations (SJ Members' meeting, 8pm)

March 24^th : SJ annual dinner, L'Horizon Hotel

April 21^st : SJ AGM, 3pm

The Variety Club's programme of 12 parish walks will start again soon.

4.2 Mary Billot updated members on the field trip to Dinan –

Prof. Michael Jones (University of Nottingham) and Madame Laurent (Présidente, Société Historique & Archéologique de la Bretagne, SHAB) will accompany Prof. Meirion-Jones. They will pay their own expenses.

Prof. Meirion-Jones is planning the itinerary now; the Emeraude summer timetable has been issued. SHAB hopes to provide a reception; there may be a vin d'honneur at the Mairie in Dinan. A suitable hotel (Les Grandes Tours in Dinan) has sent its group bookings tariff –

bed & breakfast FF170

single supplement FF100

Mary also reported that David Le Maistre phoned through his apologies from North Island, New Zealand, on February 19^th; the trip was going very well and he is hunting for postcards.

She will be revising the Section's circulation list shortly to remove names of those who do not attend meetings.

5.1 Marie-Louise Backhurst reported on her visit to Boldre (Hants) which has connections with Josué Mauger and Dame Isabella Burrard. She said that a Channel 4 TV programme on Neanderthal man did not mention either La Cotte or La Chèvre.

5.2 Georgia Le Maistre asked the chairman whether a section copy of the JHT Archives Collections Newsletter for January 2001 had been received. [Copy with minutes]

5.3 Geraint Jennings has set up a link from the Section's Web pages to the Channel 4 Blacks on the map website. He also reported that 'M. Benson, un homme de couleur venant d'Amérique, doit prêcher dans la chapelle Zion d'Union-street' (Chronique de Jersey 5/11/1853).

5.4 Sally Knight said that the JEP published an article about Lady Otway in 1994; there is some confusion as to whether her second marriage in 1889 took place in Jersey. She found a reference to the Mormons in J.P. Ahier's Tableaux historiques (1852).

5.5 Nicolas Jouault circulated an autobiographical account of the voyages of Peter Hughes (Peter Hue) which took place ca 1831-32; he obtained the transcription from Joan Birtles (New South Wales, Australia). [Copy in Library]

5.6 David Levitt introduced his list of Jersey sundials, which will be registered with the British Sundial Society. He has also researched Charles Stevens' typescript. [Copy with minutes]

5.7 Frank Falle wants suggested items for the Spring 2001 newsletter.

5.8 Geraint Jennings gave his paper on the celebrations of Guy Fawkes night in Jersey; in the late 19^th century it was common for juvenile riots and disorder to occur in St Helier. [Copy in Library/website]

5.9 Loren Le Sueur (Arizona, USA) has been in Jersey as a Mormon missionary for 5 months and was present as Yvonne Aston's guest. John and Caroline Le Sueur left Jersey in 1855 and they emigrated to Utah. After John Le Sueur's death in 1862 (aged 49) the family moved to Arizona, where they still reside. Loren recounted his family's history in the USA. He donated a copy of the 1881 British Census and National Index (25 CD-ROMs) to the Section for which he was profusely thanked.

There was no other business.